Long-lost Love
by Zip Goes A Million
Summary: AU. Sybil and Tom meet in a cafe and take their life from there. (Only rated T because of swearing and snogging.)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: First Meeting**

Sybil walked into the café and sat where she always sat every morning – or at least every morning that her work hours would let her. She always went to the same seat in the same café at about 9 a.m. every morning. She was an early bird and it let her think about things. But she was also a nurse with completely random hours; sometimes only three hours of work in the afternoon; sometimes a twelve hour night shift. And despite the fact that she didn't have a regular job, she loved it and wouldn't swap it for anything. Her practically endless years of training were the hardest years of her life, but also the best ones. She'd wanted to go into nursing since she was about ten. Of course before that she wanted to be a vet, astronaut, farmer and Olympian among other professions, but the one she always kept coming back to was nursing. She got a strange thrill out of saving peoples' lives on a daily basis.

So today she was sitting by the window, staring into the middle distance, focusing on nothing in particular. Her shift started at 8 o'clock that evening, so she could stay in that café for as long as she wanted to. She had nothing else planned for the day. She wasn't meeting up with friends and she didn't have a boyfriend to talk to or go out with, and she rarely used her mobile phone, as she was always happy in her own company. So, after drinking half of her coffee she got out a book and started to read. She'd managed to read three chapters (but they were all rather short chapters) before someone came up to her. She expected it to be a waiter asking if she wanted anything else, but when she looked up she found that it was somebody else. Somebody she'd never seen before. The man said, "Can I…?" and motioned to the soft sofa-like chair opposite Sybil across the table. Sybil nodded and smiled. The man started to talk. "I'm just going to say it… I see you in here almost every day and I think you're a stunning woman. I never see you with any other guy, so I'm assuming you're single and I just want to get to know you a little better." He took a breath. "I'm Tom by the way."

"Sybil," she replied, holding her hand out. She folded the corner of the page in her book, snapped it shut and placed it next to her. She deliberately didn't say, _nice to meet you_, because she didn't know if it _was_ nice to meet him, so instead she stated, "You're Irish." Tom smiled and looked down, but said nothing. "I like the Irish accent." Tom looked up at her and noticed how her eyes lit up when she smiled. "Oh, and, before you go trying to ask me again, yes I'm single. And have been for five years."

"Really, that long?" Tom said, completely shocked. "How can a woman as gorgeous as you be single for so long?"

"It's because of my job I think, which I should probably warn you about because if I'm going to scare you off it's better for me to do it now rather than in a few weeks time." Tom just chuckled to himself and continued to stare into her eyes. "I'm a nurse, but I have super abnormal hours. If you're going to run away, I'd start moving now!" she said with a smile.

"I'm not going to run away. Two of my sisters are nurses and my mum was a doctor, so I know what the hours are like," Tom replied.

"Glad to hear it. How many sisters do you have then? Big family?"

"Three sisters – one older, two younger and four brothers – all younger. And seventeen cousins who are practically siblings anyway."

"Crickey!" Sybil replied, raising her eyebrows. Admittedly her family wasn't small, but it wasn't quite that big.

"So what about you?"

"Two sisters – both older. But I don't speak to them much. I try to, but my whole family's kind of disowned me since I decided to go into nursing. Apart from mum… I still see her sometimes."

"So, medicine's not the family business then?" Tom asked.

"Far from it. Edith does some useful stuff with her life. She's a journalist at the moment, but Mary does nothing and never really has. She's got a husband to get all her money for her. Well, at the moment she's a full time mother, so she can be forgiven, but even before that, she didn't do anything that would ever help her."

"So, who are Edith and Mary?"

"Sisters. Both a pain. Both completely unable to stay in the same room with each other for more than ten minutes without starting an argument." Sybil smiled to herself at the thought of her sisters.

"Why do they all think nursing is such a bad idea? Surely it's good to save peoples' lives?"

"Well, that's what I think, but my family's aristocratic and has been for centuries, so everybody seems to think that I'm _ruining the family tradition_ by going off my own way and by not being a sheep." Sybil paused and took a sip of her coffee before saying, "So, is your family close?"

"While I was in Ireland we were. The rest of the family still are, but obviously I'm here now, so I don't see them all that often."

"How come you moved here? Did you want a change or did you need some space?"

"Neither. My job brought me here. I'm a journalist."

"Intriguing!" Sybil raised an eyebrow, "I like a man who can write well!" She finished her coffee and placed the cup back on the table.

"Want another one?" Tom asked in his gorgeous Irish accent.

"Sure, if you're offering," Sybil replied. The waiter walked past and Tom asked for two coffees.

"So," he said, "I still don't get it. How come men aren't following you everywhere? You're drop dead gorgeous!" Sybil felt her cheeks blush. But she didn't try to hide it. From what she could see so far she liked this man and wasn't going to hide her feelings. "And you seem easy enough to talk to…" Tom added.

"Thanks for the compliment!" she said, smiling at him. "I don't know what it is," she continued, honestly. "My mum says that I can be a bit intimidating, but I always think I'm quite shy around strangers."

"You haven't been shy around me," Tom said rather matter-of-factly, as the waiter brought the two coffees to the table. "But it's good. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining at all!"

* * *

_I started writing this today. It started off as a one-shot, but I like it too much to keep it short. Sorry about That Was Then, This Is Now for those of you wondering where I stand on that. I am still going to be writing it, but it might not be for a while for various reasons, but I hope you enjoy this in the meantime. Let me know what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Walk Home**

The two of them were walking down the street. Tom was escorting Sybil back to her house. They'd spent an hour or so in the café, but then had decided to stretch their legs outside. It was a hot summer's day, so it was lovely weather for a slow stroll. They had talked the whole time, since Tom first came up to Sybil in the café. Sybil was finding it so easy to talk to Tom. Sybil was now telling Tom about all of her past boyfriends, a grand total of one. "So I broke up with Simon when I was eighteen because he was beginning to get on my nerves and we never had anything to talk about. By the end of four years he hated me ignoring him and reading a book, yet he would never have anything to say to me, and I felt trapped and I broke it off. But obviously I'd been going out with him since I was fourteen, and suddenly I had no idea where my love life was headed. So he was my only real boyfriend. And since then I've been to parties, got drunk, snogged some guys and had drunken sex, but nothing's ever lasted more than a few hours. You're the only guy, apart from the guys at work that I've had a proper conversation with for years…" Sybil paused, realising what she was doing and said, "Oh God, I'm probably scaring you aren't I?"

"Not at all. You're sweet. But I still can't believe you've only had one boyfriend. So you split when you were eighteen and nothing's happened for five years so you're twenty three now?" Tom enquired.

"Quite the mathematician!" Sybil teased. "Yes, I'm twenty three, but totally hopeless with men!"

"No you're not," Tom said, slipping a hand around her back, resting his hand on her waist. Sybil smiled at this and put her hand around his back too. She could feel his muscles, but didn't want to say anything about it just yet. She felt as if she'd almost scared him off far too many times to risk it again. Quite enough scaring for one day.

"So, I'm twenty three and you are… fill in the blank," Sybil said.

"Twenty seven," Tom said. "Not too old I hope," he continued.

"Not when the man in question is as handsome as you and has that accent!" Sybil said, laughing. They were in a small street – not exactly a back alley, but there weren't many people around and Tom couldn't hold the urge to kiss her any longer. He stopped and turned her body to face his, locking his lips against hers. Sybil had been taken by surprise. Sybil had known this man for only a few hours and was only just beginning to think that she might like him, but Tom had been in love with Sybil for months, with the few hours they had spent talking only confirming his feelings. However, despite all of these mixed emotions floating about, Sybil kissed him back. She opened her mouth wider to give him wider access until it was a full-frontal, unrefrained snog that both were taking a huge role in. Their tongues danced an unrehearsed, yet flawless dance within each other's mouths. Tom found Sybil's lips soft and warm, Sybil finding his moist and tender. After a while they parted their lips, but kept their foreheads pressed together, Sybil's hands still tangled in Tom's hair and his hands still wrapped around her perfect waist.

"Wow!" Tom said quietly, breathing heavily. "I think those drunken snogs you told me about were in your favour there! Practise makes perfect!"

"Perfection? Really? I thought _you_ were pretty damn good if I'm honest!" Sybil said between breaths. "Fancy coming back to mine?" she asked. She hadn't been this forward with a man, whilst still being sober, since breaking up with Simon.

"I'm afraid I can't. Work starts in two hours," Tom replied softly. "But I can walk you home. Where do you live?"

"About a mile and a half away from here," Sybil said, taking a small step back and looking into Tom's eyes with a smile on her face.

"We'd better get cracking then!" Tom said, laughing slightly to himself. He took her hand and they continued on their journey, still keeping up the conversation.

"You're twenty three and you're already a nurse? When did you start Uni?"

"When I was 18. I didn't take a gap year after my A-levels, but went straight to Southampton. My parents tried to get me to go to Oxford or Cambridge, but I refused."

"How come? You seem bright enough to go to either of those two Universities," Tom said, squeezing Sybil's hand.

"I know. And thanks for the compliment, but I knew that if I went to either one then I'd constantly be under pressure. The two top Universities in the country – I don't handle pressure well. I put enough pressure on myself, without having the University put pressure on me too to keep my grades up just for their standards."

"Fair enough. I feel like I pressured you into that kiss actually," Tom admitted.

"Are you kidding? Firstly, that wasn't a kiss, that was a full on snog-fest and secondly, I loved it; why else to you think I didn't pull away, but gave you _more_ access to me?" Sybil smiled back at the thought of that passionate kiss and slipped her arm around Tom's back, resting her head on his shoulders. Tom pressed a kiss through Sybil's hair, again resting his arm around her back, gently placing his hand on her slender waist. They walked in silence for a while, but they were soon talking again, but before long they arrived at Sybil's front door. Sybil turned to Tom with a cheeky smile on her face. She snogged him again, leaning up against her front door. Once they had parted she said, "Wait here; let me get a pen and some paper. I need your number." Sybil turned the key and entered her house. She ran to her study and grabbed the necessary equipment. She ran back outside where Tom was waiting patiently. She handed him the pen and paper and watched him write his information down. She bit her lip – how could watching a man write his number be sexy? Sybil wasn't sure of the answer, but she knew that Tom was managing it anyway. He handed the pen and paper back to her. She read his name _Tom Branson_. She skipped looking at his number; she could do that later, but she saw some other writing underneath the number which said _I love you_. Her heart skipped a beat and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Tom smiled and brushed a finger over her cheek. The sides of his mouth lifted slightly and he said, "I'll miss you," before turning away, as Sybil closed her front door behind her.

* * *

_I understand that the kiss was sudden, but I don't care! It was fun to write! any reviews are welcome and I'd love to know your opinions on the story._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Texting**

I close my front door and smile to myself, doing my best not to squeal, knowing that if I do, Tom will probably hear me. _I love you._ Wow! Aside from Simon, the only men who've ever told me that they loved me were drunk. I've known him for half a day and he loves me? And I think I might love him too. I walk down the hall and into my kitchen. I decide to grab a punnet of grapes and sit at the island in the middle of the room. I take my phone out from under my bra strap – honestly it's a great place to keep it when you don't have any pockets! I enter Tom's number into my phone while eating grapes whenever I'm not typing and have a spare hand. I stare at his number on the screen of my phone until I notice that I have no grapes left. "Bloody hell!" I say aloud, "What time is it?" I turn around and look at the clock on the wall – I _would_ look at my phone, but its brain is dead, so it thinks that it's 2:03 a.m., March 23rd. It's not. The wall clock says that it's 1:54 p.m., May 16th. I have no idea how long I spent looking at that number – a punnet of grapes isn't a standardised measure of time as far as I'm aware – but I know that it's been longer than I should have been. I decide to send Tom a text back, just so that he has my number. I slide my phone open and begin to text. Yes, I slide it, it's an old phone, but it works, so I have no reason to change it. I don't use it enough to spend the money on a new phone. Anyway, so I type,

I love you too.  
S x.

Why hello there. I never asked, what's your surname? I've just got this obsession where I need to put the first name _and_ surname into my phone contacts. So you are Sybil… what?  
Love Tom x

Crawley. Sybil Crawley. So, have you ever told a girl you loved her after a few hours before?  
Sybil xx

Only twice, but they were when I was six and ten. Have you ever told anyone you love them so early on?  
Tom x

Quite the young player! And, no, I've never told anyone I love them so early, but you're different. So, before you stuck your tongue down my throat, I told you about Simon and my drunken nights, but you never told me about your past girlfriends. Spill… I want to know about all of them! :)  
S x

Okay, I had a girlfriend for a week when I was 8. Then I went single until I was almost 20. Actually, at Uni I had more than my fair share of drunken snogs and fun nights, but I wasn't going out with anyone. Then when I was almost 20 I had a girlfriend called Katie until I was 25, but then she moved to Australia and broke it off with me, and I've been single ever since, with only one or two nights of drunk nights with random women until now. And I thought you liked it when I 'stuck my tongue down your throat'? Love you.  
T xx

How can you stay single for so long with that accent! I'm surprised you don't get snapped up by every woman who hears you speak! I did like your tongue in my mouth – I don't think I ever said thank you for that, so thanks. Maybe we can do it again sometime.  
Syb xx

Apparently my accent isn't attractive to most women. I realise that you think that's impossible, but that's just life, I suppose. And let's be honest, if everybody loved me, you wouldn't have me right now. And maybe I can come round to your house and stick my tongue down your throat again tonight?  
Tom xx

Tonight sounds good! What time do you get off work?  
S x

I'm off in half an hour. I'll come round as soon as I can. Love you.  
Tom xx

Love you more. See you later, I'll be waiting…  
Syb xxx

I go upstairs and pick up a few pieces of clothing off the floor and straighten my bed. The rest of my house usually seems to be immaculate, but my bedroom is never perfect. I finish tidying my room up and run downstairs when I hear the doorbell ring. I know it won't be Tom, but I always run down the stairs, regardless of who it might be. It's the postman. I open the door and say with a smile, "Hi."

"Hello," he says, looking at me in his smart red and blue uniform. He hands me a parcel and says, "And I need you to sign here, please." He hands me a strange electronic gadget and an odd pen-type thing. I take it and sign my name, _Sybil Crawley_. "Thank you," he says with a smile, as he takes the gadget and pen back.

"Enjoy the weather!" I say just before I close the door and return to the kitchen. I open the parcel and take out a complete box set of _A Bit of Fry and Laurie_. It's a present for Matthew. His birthday's the day after tomorrow and although he hasn't asked for anything in particular, I can't just get him nothing, can I now? I love him as a brother-in-law and I've seen him watch the programme enough times for it to be a safe bet when it comes to his birthday present. I walk over to the CD player and press play. _Vienna_ by Ultravox begins to play. I love 70s and 80s music. I listen to it all the time. I quickly dash into my study and grab some wrapping paper, scissors and sellotape, so that I don't miss too much of my favourite song. I'm back in the kitchen, singing at the top of my lungs, whilst wrapping up the DVDs. Once I'm finished, I put the present on the side and take the spare wrapping paper, scissors and sellotape back to the study. I turn the music up because I'm in a brilliant mood and continue singing along as I make myself a cheese sandwich. I'm starving – I suppose because I didn't really have lunch. I keep singing and decide to tidy a few things up so that things don't look too scruffy. I don't have much else to do really, and I can't go out, despite the gorgeous weather, because I'll be expecting Tom quite soon.

* * *

_As usual, reviews, constructive criticism and anything else really is welcome and wanted. Let me know what you think or if there is anything you really want to happen, and I'll consider what you suggest._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Grand Tour**

Tom walked down the street in the sunshine. He was almost at Sybil's front door. He smiled to himself smugly for managing to get himself such a stunning woman. He walked up to her front door and heard _Living' on a Prayer_ playing really loudly. He could also just make out the voice of Sybil singing along to it. So, Tom knew one more thing about her – she had decent taste in music. He rang the doorbell, and a few seconds later he heard the music get much quieter. Sybil opened the door with a smile and said, "Hey, good to see you!"

Tom smiled back and said, "Ditto." Sybil stood to one side slightly, indicating with her arm for Tom to come into her house. Tom walked into her hall and waited for her to close the door. "Good music. You've got good taste," Tom said. Sybil turned to him and said,

"Thanks. I've got a bit of a thing for 70s and 80s stuff. So… grand tour? I'm afraid it's not particularly grand, but it's good enough for me." Tom smiled at Sybil's comment and she smiled back. Sybil took Tom's hand and began to climb the stairs, "Come on: let's start at the top." Once they were a floor higher Sybil walked to the other end of the corridor and walked into her spare room, still holding Tom's hand. "Spare room, quite boring. A bed and some drawers – not particularly fascinating."

"Gorgeous view though!"

"Really?" Sybil challenged. "I've never been sure whether I liked that view or not. I guess it's nice when the sunsets are colourful, but otherwise I'm rather indifferent. Anyway, this way," Sybil said, leading Tom out of the room and to the next. "That's the bathroom and not worth seeing, and here is my room."

"Bloody hell, it's spotless!"

"I'm a bit of a neat freak, actually. Most of my house is pretty tidy most of the time," Sybil said, wrapping her arms around Tom's waist.

"And, I must say, you're duvet cover is adorable! I was such a huge fan of Snoopy when I was little," Tom said with a grin.

"I've had that Snoopy cover since I was fourteen. It's really tatty now, actually, but I love it too much to get rid of it," Sybil paused as Tom pulled her in for a hug. She took in his smell, but then realised that she still had another floor to show him around and took her arms away from around him and said, "Right then, downstairs." She headed towards the stairs and started making her way down, leaving Tom to follow her. Once they were both downstairs, Sybil said, "This is the hall, you've been here before." She smiled to herself as she walked down the hall to the kitchen. She walked to the CD player and turned it off. It had been running quietly since Tom got here, and it was wasting electricity to keep it going. "Kitchen, as you can see. Oven, microwave, fridge – the ultimate source of all food. Dishwasher, sink, blah blah blah, you probably don't want to know about all of that, so come this way. Utility room's that way, but that's boring. So, this is my study and where I spend quite a lot of my time. Sorry, it's full of medical books. Not the most exciting, but rather interesting in my opinion. Anyway, and last but not least," Sybil said, opening the connecting door to the sitting room, "this is my sitting room." Tom's eyes went straight to the shelves packed with videos and DVDs.

"Blimey, that's a lot of films. Have you watched them all?" he enquired.

"Most of them, not all of them. But I rewatch them when I get time to." Sybil sat on her sofa, which faced the television and said, "What do you wanna do?" Tom sat on the sofa next to her and gave her a kiss, which turned into a snog. And although Sybil was enjoying it greatly, she pulled back and looked down.

"What's wrong, love?" Tom said, genuinely worried about her.

"Do you not think we're going a bit fast? I know you said that you've wanted to go out with me for longer than you've actually known me, but even so, we _have_ only known each other a day. I really don't think we should be jumping into bed together at this stage."

"I completely understand," Tom said and then kissed her nose. "Why don't we watch a film?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Sybil said, beginning to feel a little better.

"Have any recommendations?" Tom said, as he walked over to the DVDs and crouched down to look at the ones on the lower shelves. Sybil walked up behind him and put her arms over his shoulders, saying,

"That depends on what you want. Comedy? Romance? Action? I don't do horror – don't suggest horror!" Tom picked up a yellow DVD box and read the title,

"_Little Miss Sunshine_. What's that?" Sybil smiled and said,

"Oh, that's such a brilliant film; you have to watch that before you die!"

"Okay then. What about watching it now?" Tom asked.

"Brilliant choice!" Sybil put the DVD into the DVD player and sorted out the settings on the TV to make it work. Tom sat on the sofa and soon Sybil joined him with the DVD remote in hand. They snuggled together, he with his arm around her shoulders, and they settled to watch the film.

* * *

_I know a lot of you said that the first person present wasn't working in the last chapter and I can see where you're coming from. I also took into account that you thought they were going too fast, and honestly, so did I, but I wanted to know what you thought as well. Reviews and suggestions always welcome. Hope you have enjoying it so far. Oh, and by the way, if you haven't seen _Little Miss Sunshine_ then you need to. It's such a good comedy!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: At the Pub**

Tom was at the pub with some friends the day after he'd watched _Little Miss Sunshine_ with Sybil at her house. What Sybil didn't know was that Tom had made a bet with some friends on the subject of being able to get women. Tom hadn't lied. He really had been admiring her for a few months through the café windows, but it was the bet that prompted him to go and talk to her. Tom's friends were talking about where they'd managed to get to so far with women since the bet had been made – none of them had girlfriends, so there was no cheating. It was just to see who could get the furthest, the quickest. Tom had zoned out and wasn't listening to anybody else around the table. "What about you, Tom?" asked Ollie, his best friend. But Tom didn't answer. "Tom… TOM!" he said much louder, while poking his arm to get his attention. Tom came out of his dream world and back to reality. Everyone could see by the expression on his face that he had no idea what was going on, so Christopher said with a chuckle,

"Have you got anywhere with that bet?" Tom hesitated to answer. "So the answer's no, then, is it?"

"No, the answer's yes, actually," Tom replied, not looking up from the table.

"Oh, I see," Christopher said, smugly. Then David followed with,

"Tommy's in love!" The three men laughed, but Tom did not. He looked into his lap and could feel his face getting redder by the second. But his friends could see that he was hurting inside, so Ollie said,

"Come on then; spill the beans – tell us everything about her. What's her name?"

Tom looked up, defeated. He began to tell them everything he knew about Sybil. "Sybil. She'd called Sybil and her family's been aristocrats for centuries. She's a nurse, though, so she doesn't usually see her family and she's gorgeous. And she's 23 and her house is immaculately clean."

"Oh, you've been to her house, have you?" Ollie jeered.

"It's only been two days since we made this bet, Tom!" David followed.

"I know, but nothing happened," Tom said and got up from his chair to walk outside into the fresh air. The others could tell that he wasn't particularly happy with their questioning, so they didn't follow him just yet. Ollie said to the others,

"Give him a few minutes and then I'll go out and try to calm him down."

Outside, Tom was sat on a bench on the other side of the street. It was quite dark and there weren't many people about, bar a few drunkards, whom Tom never got involved with. Tom sat with his head in his hands, telling himself that it was a stupid idea to accept that bet when there was every chance that it would become serious. Ollie came out and dodged his way around the drunkards, crossed the road and sat next to Tom. "What happened that was so bad?" he asked, sympathetically.

"I might as well tell you the whole story. I went up to her in the café and we got talking. I told her that I'd been looking at her for a while and I ended up walking her home, but on the way I couldn't wait any longer and I ended up giving her a snog. I got to her house and gave her my number, told her I loved her, and went to work." Ollie's eyes widened in surprise when he heard that Tom had said that he loved her, but he didn't say anything, knowing that it would make Tom feel worse. He let Tom continue, "So, I went to work and she texted me a while later, and we made arrangements for me to go back to her house after I was finished. So that's what I did and she showed me round her house. She asked what to do, I snogged her again, and she said that we were going too quickly, so we ended up watching _Little Miss Sunshine_, which, by the way, is a film you have to see! But that film finished and we watched TV for a while. And then we fell asleep on each other and we woke up at nine this morning."

"How come you haven't seen her today then?" Ollie asked.

"She's been working all day at hospital." Tom sighed. "You know what, I'm gonna go home. I need to be alone for a bit." So Tom started walking down the street and Ollie stayed to watch him walk solemnly until he turned the corner. Tom lived quite close and was glad of the walk, and when he finally got home he went straight to his room and fell asleep.

* * *

_I know that this is a super short chapter, but oh well. I don't think it's as good as the other chapters that I've done so far, but I don't think it's too awful. Let me know what you think and if there's anything you want to happen, just tell me and I'll probably do it._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Lunch at the Pub**

Sybil and Tom were texting. Sybil had been working all day yesterday, and Tom had been thinking about the bet he made that he wished he hadn't.

Wanna meet up today?  
T xx

Sure – actually it's my brother-in-law's birthday today. I'm having a meal at their house tonight with the rest of my family. Edith's bringing her boyfriend, I'm sure I could bring you if I asked. Sound good?  
Syb x

That sounds great, if you're absolutely sure that your family won't mind.  
Tom x

I'm sure they won't but I'll just ring Mary and see, just in case. Oh, but they live in Yorkshire, so we'd have to leave straight after lunch if that's alright.  
Love Sybil xx

That's absolutely fine. I'm not working today – it's Saturday, you know!

Tom x

Sybil rang Mary's home number and waited for somebody to answer. "Hello?" said Mary's voice.

"Hey, Mary, it's me."

"Hi Syb, how're things?"

"Fine at the moment, but I rang to ask a question."

"Go on," Mary said, trying to tidy up some of George's toys as she talked to Sybil.

"Tonight, can I bring someone with me?"

"Fancy narrowing that _someone_ down to a name?" she asked with a smile, knowing that Sybil was usually vague about most things.

"His name's Tom, I met him a few days ago, but I really like him. Would you mind?"

"You haven't slept with him yet, have you, darling?"

"No, Mary!" Sybil said sternly. "It's been two days, of course I haven't slept with him!"

"Well, you never know!" Mary said as Matthew walked into the room. He kissed her on the cheek and Mary put the phone to her chest and said to Matthew, "Do you mind if Sybil brings her newest fancy man tonight?"

"Of course she can bring someone with her. As long as Sybil promises to introduce everyone to him properly!" Matthew smiled at the thought of Sybil with a proper relationship rather than a load of alcohol-fuelled one night stands. He thought that she'd lost the ability to find a proper man! Mary kissed Matthew softly and said,

"Thank you," before putting the phone back to her ear and saying, "Sybil? Are you still there?"

"Yep!"

"Good. Sorry about that, Matthew just walked in, but he said you can bring him if you want to."

"Thank you Mary! And thank Matthew for me please."

"Alright, see you later. Six o'clock. Don't be late – I know what you're like!"

"I won't be late, Mary. See you later," she said as she pressed the red button on her phone. She then rang Tom's mobile number.

"Hi Sybil."

"Hey – I've just rung Mary and she said you can come if you want. They don't mind at all."

"Great, but you said we'd have to leave straight after lunch, so do you want to meet at the pub, have a bite to eat and then go off in a few hours?"

"Sure. Sounds good to me. Meet you there at 12? I think it's going to have to be an early lunch, I'm afraid if we want to be at Mary's on time."

"That's fine by me. I'll meet you outside at 12 o'clock then. Love you," Tom said, with a smile in his voice.

"Love you more. Bye," Sybil replied and then hung up the phone.

* * *

Sybil parked the car and walked down the street to the pub. Tom was waiting for her outside, leaning on the railing. "Hey you," Sybil said as she walked up to him.

"Hello, gorgeous," Tom replied and pulled her in for a kiss. "I've got some friends with me if that's alright."

"Ooh, exciting!" Sybil said back with a cheeky grin on her face. Tom took her waist and they walked into the building and turned left, heading towards a table where three of Tom's friends were sitting – Ollie, Christopher and David. Sybil smiled at them as she sat down. Ollie then said,

"Hi, you're Sybil, right?"

"Spot on! And you lot are…?"

"I'm Ollie, that's Christopher, that's David."

"I'm sure they can speak for themselves, Ollie!" Sybil said, mock reprimanding him. They were sitting at the corner of the pub, so Tom and Sybil were sat next to each other on a soft sofa-bench-type-thing. David said,

"We've all heard so much about you, Sybil."

"Like what, exactly?" Sybil asked, directed at all three of them. She smiled to herself, knowing that they probably expected someone far shyer and far less feisty. "Tell me everything you know." The three men then took turns to tell Sybil what she already knew about herself.

"You're called Sybil; your family's aristocratic."

"You're a nurse."

"You're house is immaculate, apparently and you're 23."

"And he thinks you're gorgeous," Christopher said, looking towards Tom. "And that's why he snogged you, I gather."

"Bloody hell! Well that's interesting, considering I know nothing about you lot other than that you're called Ollie, you're Christopher and you're David. And as far as I can tell, you're from somewhere like Essex?" she asked, pointing at David.

"That's right! Essex born and bred, me!" David said with a laugh.

"So, what do I need to know about you lot?" Sybil asked as the waiter came around, asking for orders. Everybody ordered, but then Sybil got back to her original question. "So, tell me what I need to know."

Ollie started with, "I'm Ollie, I'm 28, I'm his best friend – also a journalist and I also think you're gorgeous!" He ended this with a smirk.

"Oi, back off mate, she's mine – I got there first!" Sybil smiled and said,

"Alright, alright. No need to fight over me, gentlemen."

"So who gets you, then? If there's no fight there must be a clear winner… surely?" Tom said with his hand still firmly around her waist.

"You get me, of course!" She scooted up to him further and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She looked at Ollie and said, "Sorry, Ollie, but he's got the accent to go with the looks and the body – you're lacking when it comes to a sexy accent, I'm afraid."

"Ooh!" Christopher mocked. "Who would ever have thought that little Tom would ever be thought of as sexy by anyone?"

"I'm surprised he isn't thought of as sexy by more people actually!" Sybil said, placing her hand on Tom's inner thigh. It was under the table, so nobody could see, but Tom could feel and he repositioned himself slightly. Sybil realised that what she was doing was making him less than comfortable, so she moved her hand to sit on top of his leg, rather than between his legs. Tom relaxed and he tightened her grip around her waist. Sybil looked Christopher in the eye and said, "But what about you? What are the essentials of your life?"

"Christopher, 27 – I've known Tom since Uni and I'm a computer programmer. I know all of his secrets and also, aren't you too beautiful to be going out with someone like that?" Sybil looked down at her hands in her lap, smiling at the comments, when Tom said,

"Hands off, she's my girlfriend, not yours!" Sybil looked up and said,

"Thank you dearly for the compliments, gentlemen, but I'm spoken for, as you well know!"

Tom then said, "Go on then, David, your turn to tell everything!"

"Okey dokey, I'm David, as you know already. I'm 26, I'm a builder and you won't catch me trying to take you off Tom because I'm engaged."

"Too bad…" Sybil said, sarcastically. "I do like builders' bodies…"

"Oi!" Tom squeezed her waist some more and she turned to him for a long kiss. They kept talking for five more minutes about their families and how they all met each other, which Sybil found rather interesting and she got into quite deep conversation with them, but then the food came and they began to eat. Of course, throughout the course of the meal there were embarrassing stories told of Tom, which Sybil laughed at – in some cases enough to make her cry, but she knew that karma meant that she'd have her turn of embarrassing stories told later on up in Yorkshire.

* * *

_I don't know how well this is going, but I know it's fun to write, and don't worry the drama's coming up in the next few chapters I think. Let me know what you think, just as normal!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Journey to Yorkshire**

Sybil looked at the huge clock on the wall of the pub and looked at Tom. "We probably ought to go if we don't want to be late." Tom finished the last drop of his coffee and stood up, holding a hand out for Sybil so that he could help him up. Just as Sybil stood up and straightened out her skirt, David said,

"It's been good to meet you Sybil."

"And you lot," Sybil said in reply. "Tom's not got bad choice in friends – you're all lovely."

"Why thank you!" Ollie said with a laugh.

"Come on then," Sybil said, looking up at Tom. She took his hand as he said,

"Well, we're going then lads. See you around." The three men said their goodbyes and soon Sybil and Tom were in the car. Sybil pulled out of the car park and began on her way to Yorkshire. "So you liked that lot?" Tom asked once they were on their way.

"Yeah, they're fun – they know how to have a laugh. A lot of men I know can't do that."

"I'm glad you like them. My mates mean quite a lot to me." Sybil looked out of the end of the road, preparing to turn right. "Sybil, honey, I need to tell you something," Tom said a little sheepishly as Sybil turned the car onto the main road.

"Is everything alright? You don't sound quite right," Sybil said, concerned as she glanced at Tom before flicking her eyes back to the road, not wanting to crash.

"Well, first of all I haven't lied to you about anything at all – but I also haven't told you the whole story either. Okay, I'm just going to be up front – me and the guys made a bet to see who could get the furthest with a girl in the shortest space of time."

"But you said you didn't lie to me…" Sybil said.

"I didn't. I told you the truth."

"So, you _did_ look at me through the window for a while. So…"

"So, the only reason I actually had the courage to come and talk to you in the first place was because of that bet."

"What, so you and me – what we have is just the result of a bloody bet?" Sybil asked loudly, beginning to get angry.

"But I didn't lie – I do love you, Sybil!" Tom reiterated, trying not to make it too obvious that he was getting quite emotional.

"But what about that snog? When you walked me home after you first came to talk to me – was that love, lust or the fucking bet?" Sybil questioned, getting really very heated now.

"At that point it was probably more lust than love to be truthful, but at that point I'd forgotten about the bet!" Tom said, trying to keep back the tears.

"And what about before we watched that film? Where was that snog planning on going, exactly? Was that also fuelled by the bet?"

"That snog was love, Sybil!" Tom was almost shouting now. "And I don't know where I was going with it – but wherever I was going, it wasn't fuelled by that fucking bet!"

"Why didn't you tell me about it earlier then?"

"Because I didn't want to ruin it enough to make it so that you hated me completely."

"So you decided that I'd be fine with it when we stuck in a car on the motorway on the way to Yorkshire, did you?" Sybil paused and let a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away and said, "Sorry, Tom. I'm probably overreacting, aren't I? I'm so sorry; I do realise that you love me. I love you too, but we've just gone so quickly – emotions are running high, I suppose." Sybil took one hand off the wheel and reached over to grab Tom's hand. He took it gladly and squeezed it gently.

"I love you Sybil. I mean it – I love you with all my heart."

"I'm glad to hear it. Do want to stop at the next services – I need to go to the bathroom and a bit of fresh air wouldn't go amiss."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Tom smiled and squeezed her hand again.

* * *

After a while they got to a service station and they climbed out of the car. Sybil walked around the bonnet and locked the car before taking Tom's hand and walking down to the building. They both went to the bathroom and met up again outside. "Fancy a cup of coffee?" Sybil asked.

"Sure."

"Cool – on me." They walked together, hand in hand down to the coffee shop and got themselves what they wanted. They drank as they walked outside. Tom had already finished his by the time they got to the car and Sybil had barely started hers. Sybil was about to walk round to her side of the car, but Tom wouldn't let go of her hand. He stepped closer to her and leant down into a snog. Sybil still held her coffee, but wrapped her arms around Tom regardless. She broke away and laughed a little. "Come on, cheeky – we ought to set off again."

"Oh, alright, alright!" Tom let her go, giving her a free hand to get her keys out of her bag and unlock the car. They both climbed in again and put their seatbelts on. Sybil put her coffee in the cup holder, but Tom instantly picked it up and drank some.

"Oi! That's mine – you had yours." Tom just smiled at her and kissed her again. Soon they were back on the motorway and much, much happier together. They no longer wanted to kill each other now that that argument had been sorted out. But at least now Tom was more relaxed because he'd told Sybil about the bet.

* * *

_Hi again. Just want to thank you lot all so much for reading this and giving me feedback and support. I hope you like this chapter. Feel free to comment and give feedback if you so wish._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Birthday Meal**

About four hours later Sybil pulled up outside Mary and Matthew's house. "Only ten minutes late – not too bad!" Sybil laughed to herself. She had noticed that everybody else's cars were already there, but this was normal for her: she was usually the last to arrive for any family event. Sybil stepped out of the car, and Tom was about to follow, but Sybil remembered the DVDs and said, "Oh, love, can you grab the present and card on the backseat for me?" Tom leant back to get it and stepped out of the car, closing the door behind him. Tom walked around the front of the car as Sybil locked the car. He handed her the gift and she gave him a quick kiss. "Come on then, we'd better go in." Sybil walked up to the front door, leaving Tom to follow. She got out her key, walked into the house and shouted, "Hello!" Tom walked into the house, looking rather scared, closing the door behind him, as Mary shouted back,

"Hi, Sybil!" Sybil could tell from this shout that the rest of her family were in the kitchen. She took Tom's hand and said quietly,

"Come on now, my family's not that bad. At least fake that you're having fun!" Tom smiled at Sybil's comment and let her lead him by the hand to meet the rest of her family. They walked into the kitchen and most of the family was sitting around the table, with cutlery set out and food cooking. Matthew was getting out a bottle of wine and Cora, Edith and Isobel was taking care of the food. Sybil and Edith made eye contact and Sybil ran up to hug her. They laughed as they squeezed each other and soon Cora was in Edith's place.

"Hey, you're less than half an hour late – that's a first!" Mary laughed.

"Oh, you little beast!" Sybil retorted as she hugged her sister. "Hello, George! How are you today?" George laughed and so did Sybil. She turned around and realised that Tom was still standing awkwardly near the doorway. She walked over to him and took his hand. "Right then, everyone, this is Tom – Tom this is… um… everyone." Sybil paused. "Okay, let's do names, shall we?" She pointed around the room at each person as she told Tom who they were, "Okay, that's Mary – eldest sister, and that's George, her son. And that's Matthew – her husband. Right, there's mum and… ah – there's dad: Cora and Robert. That's Edith: other sister, and her boyfriend, Michael. Matthew's mother, Isobel. My aunt Rosamund and Granny. Granny's opinions are remarkably strong – if you contradict her, make sure your argument is flawless, because she _will_ win."

"Alright, I like a challenge!" Tom smiled down at Sybil and they went to sit down at the two seats spare that had no glasses by them. Matthew walked past them and Sybil caught him and said, "Oh, Matthew, happy birthday – where do you want me to put this?" She held out the present and card.

"Ah, thanks Sybil – would you mind putting on the side behind Mary please?"

"Sure!" Sybil turned to Mary and said, "Mary could you…? Never mind." Sybil was about to pass the present to Mary for her to put behind herself, but she realised that she had her hands more than full with George, so she got up herself and walked across the kitchen. Mary managed to get George settled down and looked at Tom, who was sitting and not talking to anyone.

"So, how did you meet Sybil, Tom?"

"Well, she was sitting in a café and I decided to go and talk to her. And things kind of spiralled rather quickly from there… What about you and Matthew?"

"Well, I'm set to inherit dad's estate, and he and mum wanted me to find a decent husband, so they invited him over a good few years ago now, and after a whole heap of problems and a whole lot of time, we got together and he asked me to marry him the Christmas before last."

"And how old is George?" he asked as Sybil came back and sat next to him, leaning back into him.

"He's six weeks."

"That must be tough! How do you get any sleep?"

"Sleep – that'd be nice!" Mary laughed, but with an element of honesty. Isobel called from the other end of the table,

"Sybil, Tom, do either of you two want a glass of wine?"

"Yes!" Sybil said with a smile. She sat up and looked at Tom, "Want anything?" Tom turned to Isobel and said,

"Yes please, if it's not any trouble."

"Come on, love," Sybil said quietly, "if everyone in this family only ever did things if it wasn't any trouble then I'd have absolutely nothing!" Violet chuckled to herself.

"Well, that's certainly true!" Sybil looked at her grandmother and said sarcastically,

"Thank you, Granny!"

"White or red, guys? Oh, or champagne?" Matthew said, getting two glasses down.

"Champagne," they said simultaneously.

"Well, at least you've got something in common," Violet said. Sybil rolled her eyes in good humour and the two glasses of champagne were soon passed down to the end of the table. Soon food was served around and everybody started chatting.

* * *

Quite early on in the meal, Edith turned to Tom and said,

"A fair word of warning, Tom – in this family there's rarely a time when there's only one conversation going on at once."

"That's fine – my family's like that back in Ireland."

"How big is your family, Tom?"

"I've got three sisters, four brothers and seventeen cousins who are much more like siblings anyway."

"Holy smokes!" Michael exclaimed. "And I thought my family was big!" The conversations kept on going and more wine was served. The conversations kept on going and it wasn't long before the birthday cake was served. The lights went off and everybody started to sing –

"Happy birthday to you!  
Happy birthday to you!  
Happy birthday dear Matthew!  
Happy birthday to you!"

Everybody applauded, the lights were turned on again and George began to cry. Mary stood up with George and said, "Excuse me," as she headed upstairs to see if she could settle George down in his room. Matthew cut the cake and served everybody a piece. Mary came down and kissed Matthew quickly before she sat down.

"Does anyone want any sauternes?" Cora asked. Most of the family replied all at once with things along the lines of – yes, so Cora poured out a load of sauternes and passed the full glasses around. Mary then said,

"Oh, Syb, where did you put that present?"

"On the side behind you." Mary got up and went to fetch the present. "There you go – that ones from Sybil," she said as she placed it in front of Matthew.

"Oh, really? Thanks Sybil," he said, turning to his sister-in-law. He opened the card first and placed it in the middle of the table with the other cards after reading it, and then he unwrapped the present. "Oh, brilliant!" Matthew said. "I'll enjoy that – thank you Sybil!"

* * *

Once everybody had finished chatting after supper they all decided that they should begin to get going. Edith could walk home with Michael, as they hadn't brought a car with them in the first place. And Cora and Robert had taken a taxi, so could easily get home. And Rosamund was driving herself and Violet home. But, as much as Sybil had a higher than average tolerance to wine and could probably still drive without much difficulty, she had drunk too much to drive legally – especially on such a long journey. Everybody else had left and Sybil was feeling guilty for putting Tom in this position. "I suppose you two can stay here tonight…" Mary said tentatively.

"Are either of you doing anything particular tomorrow morning?" Matthew added.

"I don't work Saturdays," Tom said, looking at Sybil.

"Well, I'm not working until 2p.m. tomorrow. I could stay here and drive home tomorrow morning, I guess."

"I can do that, I don't mind, honestly," Tom said.

"I feel so guilty about it though. I should've thought about driving before I had too much to drink. I'm such an idiot!" Sybil was on the verge of tears.

"Sybil, darling… everything's going to be fine," Mary said, hugging her sister and letting her cry into her shoulder.

"Sorry to ruin Matthew's birthday, Mary," Sybil said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"You didn't ruin anything, Sybil. Apart, perhaps, from your own pride." Sybil and Tom smiled at the comment and both thanked Mary and Matthew for their kindness. Tom followed Sybil upstairs to the spare room and took her hand just before they entered the room.

* * *

_I haven't read this chapter through, so I'm sorry if this doesn't make any sense, but it was a lot of fun to write it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. As normal, any suggestions with be looked at and I'll probably use any suggestions you can give me. And leave a review to tell me what you thought. :)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Staying the Night**

Tom, still holding Sybil's hand, shut the door behind him. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. The two of them sat on the bed, keeping their lips locked the whole time. With any breath that Tom could catch he said, "Syb… I… love… you…" He began to put his hands under her top, feeling her bare soft skin. Sybil pulled away from Tom's lips.

"Tom, I can't. This is my sister's house, love – it's not right to be doing this here."

"It's not like they haven't done it in this house now, is it?" Tom said, trying to get his way.

"Tom, there's a six week old baby in the house. If we wake George up from the sound of us having sex in my sister's house, I'm never going to live it down." Tom gave in.

"You're right – I'm sorry," he said, then gave her a peck on the cheek. "Let's go to bed then. You haven't got any spare clothes though, have you?"

"It'll be fine, I've got underwear – so have you!" Sybil said with a cheeky smile on her face. The two of them undressed as far as their underwear and slid into bed. Sybil rested her arm on Tom's torso with her head on his chest. Tom ran his fingers through her hair and she soon fell asleep. Tom nodded off not long after.

* * *

The next morning Tom woke up to find that Sybil wasn't next to him in bed. So he flung the covers off of his body, quickly dressed himself and walked downstairs to see if she was in the kitchen. She was there with Mary and George. "Morning, sleepy head!" Sybil said as he walked into the room. He went over to kiss her and sit next to her. "Do you want some coffee? You look like you need it," Sybil said sympathetically.

"Yes please." Sybil got up and put the kettle on.

"Do you want another one, Mary?"

"Please," she replied, handing Sybil her empty mug. Sybil made three cups of coffee and sat back down next to Tom once she'd passed them around.

"Where's Matthew, love?" Tom asked Sybil.

"Gone to work. It's 9:30, Tom!" Sybil replied.

"Why did I get up so early?" Tom asked, putting his head on the table, mocking trying to get to sleep again.

"Because I wasn't there and you subconsciously missed me," Sybil said. "Obviously…" she finished with a smile aimed at Mary. She turned to Tom and wrapped her arms around him. "Honey?"

"Mmm…" Tom replied, not really with it.

"We need to be gone in half an hour because my shift starts at 2:30 and I can't be late because we're short-staffed at the moment." Tom turned to look at Sybil.

"That's fine – we don't have to do anything before we leave though, do we?"

"You don't!" Sybil said, placing a kiss on his nose. "I'm going to strip the bed down." Sybil got up, picked up her coffee and began to walk out of the room, but she stopped and turned to Mary, saying, "Oh, Mary, can I borrow your hair brush and some toothpaste?"

"Of course you can, but we have no spare toothbrushes."

"That's fine – I've got a working finger."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! It's better than nothing, isn't it?" Mary smiled at her and she continued out of the room. Tom stayed in the kitchen, but sat up and talked to Mary.

"You haven't known Sybil long, I gather?" Mary asked.

"No, not long at all, but I love her already."

"That was quick!" Mary laughed.

"I know," Tom smiled to himself.

"Just promise me one thing, Tom… You can't go too quickly. I know what Sybil's like and although she'll give you that impression, she won't ever thank you for it," Mary warned.

"Oh yeah, I know. She's told me that already." Tom finished drinking his coffee in one go and put his mug on the pile of dishes that couldn't fit into the dishwasher from the meal the night before. He walked back to his seat, but stopped by Mary to say hello to her son in her arms. "Hello, George, how are you? You must have slept very well, because I didn't hear you at all last night?"

"Didn't you?" Mary said in shock. "I got up three times last night – I'd so love to be able to sleep a full night again!"

"Oh, you poor thing! What about Matthew though? Does he not help in the night?"

"Yeah, but he can't really do much when he needs feeding."

"I suppose not!" Tom said.

"Do want to hold him?" Mary asked.

"Sure," Tom said. Mary put George in Tom's arms and looked on as George laughed. Mary then realised that is what being a mother was all about – the laughs, the cries and the midnight feeds to couple the exhaustion and joy of having a young baby. She was wearing a pair of tatty skinny jeans and one of Matthew's oversized jumpers to keep her warm. She crossed her legs beneath her and wrapped her hands around her warm mug full of coffee. She smiled as Tom bounced George up and down. Sybil then walked in.

"Mary, I've left the dirty washing on the end of the bed because I don't really know where else to put it."

"That's fine. I'll deal with it later – thank you for stripping it down, though."

"No problem." She sat down next to Mary. They both watched Tom in his own world with George. He hadn't taken any notice of the fact that Sybil had walked in the room, even though she'd spoken to Mary quite loudly. Mary and Sybil smiled at each other when George laughed with Tom.

"He's good with George, Sybil," Mary said. Sybil looked at her, waiting for her to say more. "He's a good man. I approve of your choice. Oh and well done for managing to get yourself someone who isn't a bore like Simon was."

"Thanks, Mary. I don't ever plan on falling for someone like Simon ever again. Never in a million years. Not until pigs fly!"

"Point taken." The two ladies sat and watched Tom for a little longer, but then the grandfather clock in the hall struck ten.

"Oh, crap – we probably ought to go," Sybil said. Tom handed George back to Mary. Mary walked with them to the front door to see them off. Sybil gave Mary a hug goodbye and kissed George's head. "Bye-bye, George. See you soon, little one." Tom also said goodbye to the two and soon the two of them were in the car again and on their way back home.

* * *

_Again, tell me what you think. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Please let me know what you think. Thank you all for reading if you are regular readers of my writing - your support means a great deal to me._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Back home**

As soon as Sybil got home she realised that she hadn't dropped Tom back at his house and didn't know where he lived. "Where do you live? I probably should have dropped you home, shouldn't I?"

"Well, I only live three streets away so I can walk – I like the fresh air anyway." The two of them got out of the car and Sybil said,

"You can come in if you want, but I start work in three quarters of an hour and I want a shower beforehand, but you're welcome if you've got nothing better to do."

"Yeah, I'll come in… you know… if you really don't mind."

"No, I'm fine with it – why else would I invite you in, you silly idiot!" Sybil twisted her key in her door and let Tom in. She flung her keys and bag on the side and said to Tom, "I'm going to go upstairs, have a quick shower and get changed, but there should be some food in the fridge if you fancy some lunch. Plates and glasses on those two shelves," she said as she put both arms out and pointed at opposite sides of the room. At this point, when she was about to go on about something else, Tom walked up in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips against hers. She loved it when men shut her up with a kiss. She kissed him back, but neither of them were planning on a snog – it was just a loving kiss for two people that love each other. Sybil slowly pulled away and said, "I love you," but then she went upstairs to have a shower. Tom made himself a cheese sandwich and got himself a glass of water.

It wasn't long before Sybil was downstairs with mostly damp hair and her uniform on. Tom looked at her and his eyes widened. "Don't comment – if you do you'll be out the door! Too many men have tried to ask me out just because of this uniform." Tom smiled, walked up to her and said,

"I won't say a word…" Instead he gave her a quick kiss. Then Sybil went over to the fridge and looked for something to eat. She closed it, but had taken nothing out of it. She went over to a cupboard on the opposite side of the room and pulled out a can of tomato soup. She heated it up, poured it into a bowl, grabbed a spoon and a slice of bread and then went to sit next to Tom at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Sybil then ate it as she and Tom talked. "How come your hair is still wet?"

"I didn't dry it completely. My hair takes forever to dry with a hair-dryer, so I just left it half way through."

"Fair enough. What time do you have to leave?"

"Well, my shift starts at 2:30, and it usually takes about twenty minutes to walk to the hospital, so I need to be gone in ten minutes."

"Can I walk you down?" Tom asked. As he had said previously, he liked walking in the fresh air and he loved Sybil, so it wasn't a problem.

"Sure! I'd love you to. You're my man now."

"And proud to be!" This made Sybil smile. She let Tom do most of the talking for the next ten minutes as she had to finish eating quick enough to make it to work on time.

Before long, the two of them were walking down the street, on their way to the hospital. As they walked across the top of Tom's street, he said, "I live down there. Number 23."

"Oh, right – I looked at that house when I was looking to buy around here. How long ago did you move here?"

"About three and a half years ago. I've had three Christmases here if that helps. I think I moved here in November."

"Wow, so we must have moved here within a few weeks of each other – I moved in around that time too!"

"So, do you believe in fate?" Tom asked, as he held Sybil's hand and kept on walking.

"I'm afraid not," Sybil answered.

"What about love at first sight?"

"Nope – not that either… but I do believe in soul mates…" she said, squeezing Tom's hand in hers.

"Glad to hear it!" he said with a smile, a bit of a laugh and a squeeze back. The time went quickly and soon they were at the hospital and Sybil was a few minutes late, so had to rush in quickly, but still took the time to kiss Tom, tell him how much she loved him and let him know when her shift was due to finish. She then walked into work and started her day. It wasn't a long shift – only going until 7 that evening, but it was enough time to think about how much she loved Tom.

She got on with her work and forgot about it really, but then she had a break, and she and some of her colleagues relaxed a bit with tea, coffee and biscuits. Sybil wasn't saying much, so one of her best friends – Jemima – who she'd known since University said, "So, come on Sybil; tell us about this new man of yours."

"Well, there isn't much to tell, I guess…" she said sheepishly. She wasn't usually shy around the other nurses – she loved them all, but she had a sudden wave of coyness around them.

"Of course there's something to tell, there's always something to tell, Sybil – I know what you're like. A rebel like you, you can't say that you haven't got anywhere at all!" one of the older nurses said. Sybil gave in,

"Fine! He's Irish, 27 and really sweet. He came up to me and said he'd been looking at me through the café windows for a few months and that he wanted to go out with me. So I said yes! And then yesterday was awful actually – we went up to my sister's house for her husband's birthday, which was fine in itself, but I ended up drinking too much to drive back home from Yorkshire, so we ended up staying the night at their house, which meant we've had to spend most of the day so far on our way back here from up north."

"I told you she always liked a man with an accent," Jemima said to everybody else, at which they all laughed.

"Southern or northern Irish?" another nurse asked.

"Southern. Lived in Dublin for years until he moved here for his work."

"Oh, alright, so what does he do?"

"Come on girls, have you never heard of a bit of privacy?" said Jane, a nurse that had been working at this hospital longer than everybody else in the room.

"Thank you Jane – finally somebody who understands personal space! But he's a journalist for those of you wondering." Then a new doctor came in looking for some help. The new doctors had been at the hospital for a little over a week and were still finding their feet. "I'll go!" Sybil said quickly, taking this as her chance to get away from prying eyes. She placed her coffee down on the table and left the room. The new doctor asked her how to do something and where the things were to do it, which kept her busy for long enough to push the other nurses to the back of her mind. And then, by the time she'd finished helping, it was time for her to start working properly again anyway. Much to her surprise the rest of the day flew by quite quickly and she managed to avoid any crisis, so could actually get out of work on time as well. As she walked out of the doors, Tom was standing there, waiting to walk her home. "How long have you been waiting here?" she asked, kissing him and taking his hand.

"Only ten minutes," he said with a smile. It was a lie. He's been waiting there for about half an hour, but he didn't want to come across as too keen, even though he was very keen to see Sybil after work. Tom walked Sybil home and went in with her. They decided to sit back and snuggle on the sofa, and naturally, they talked about the days they'd had. Tom was sitting with his back pushed into the corner of the sofa and Sybil was slouched, leaning on him, but had her back to him. One of Tom's arms was wrapped around her middle and Sybil was exploring Tom's hand with hers. When Tom heard about her conversation with her colleagues, he said, "I'm not invading your personal space, am I?"

"No, love, I want you in my personal space." She snuggled closer to him and brought her knees up to her chest, trapping Tom's hand between her legs and her stomach. Tom quietly took a box out of his pocket with his spare hand, opened it and held it where Sybil could see it.

"Want to get married then?" Sybil raised her head, looked at the ring and could feel the tears begin to fall down her cheeks. She turned around to face Tom and kissed him passionately. As soon as she had no more air left in her lungs she pulled away slightly and whispered,

"Yes!" Tom carefully put the ring on her finger and then continued to kiss her into the night.

* * *

_I'll let you fill in the blanks. This was supposed to be the last chapter, but I think I might do an epilogue. You tell me - is it worth an epilogue a few years into the future? I hope you've enjoyed the story and thanks for sticking with it! Your support means the world to me. Feel free to leave a review if you can._


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue: Five years on**

"Grace, honey, it's time for school," Sybil said, sitting on her daughter's pink duvet. It was the morning of Grace's first day in reception and Sybil was making sure that she got her daughter up in time for her not to be late. Yes, she'd been to nursery over the past few years, but that was only for two or three days a week, so Sybil knew that this was a big step up for Grace. But Grace was excited, nonetheless. She wanted to make a good first impression just as much as Sybil did. Grace sat up slightly in bed and said,

"Mummy, can I brush my hair today?" She rubbed her eyes and waited for a reply.

"Of course you can, darling, but only after you're dressed. Do you want a bit of help with your uniform? I know buttons can be tricky," Sybil asked.

"Yes please, mummy," Grace said. Sybil smiled. She was glad that she and Tom had raised a child who had manners; one who didn't interrupt and said please and thank you. She knew that she had gone terribly fast with Tom and that it had been a relationship going at the speed of light, but she knew that having Grace was the best thing she ever did. She loved her daughter to the moon and back, and wanted the best she could possibly get for her. She had made her as ready as she could the night before – she had a bath and had helped Sybil pack her school bag. Her clothes were set out on her chair and she was excited to go to school. Tom popped his head around the door and said to Sybil,

"Cup of tea?"

"Oh, that'd been wonderful, love." She smiled at her husband and was glad to have him to herself.

"Can I have coco pops for breakfast, daddy?" Grace asked loudly. Sybil found that the only downside was that Grace's voice was very loud. She'd had a big voice since she was born and Sybil didn't think that she would be able to control her volume any time soon.

"Yes, you can, but only if you get dressed and ready for school," Tom said tactfully. At this, Grace clambered off her bed and walked over to her neatly stacked pile of clothes. She looked at her mother, but Sybil wanted Grace to do as much as she could.

"Well, you can get out of your pyjamas, can't you Grace?" Getting Grace changed took a lot longer than Sybil originally had planned for, but this is why she had got Grace up earlier than she thought she would need to. It was quite a warm September morning, so Sybil decided that Grace probably didn't need to put her jumper on, so she threaded it through the loop of her brand new school bag. Sybil passed the hairbrush to Grace as Tom came in with her mug of tea. Grace began to try her hardest to get the hairbrush through her hair, and although she wasn't doing particularly well, she was determined to keep going until it was done. Sybil went to stand next to Tom and took the mug from him. She drank some of the liquid and felt as if she were in heaven. "Thank you, darling. It's exactly what I needed." She kissed her husband and he then put her arm around her waist as she rested her head on him. They watched Grace as she managed to get half the way around her head before putting the brush down, looking at her mother and saying,

"My arm's too tired. Can you do it please mummy?" Sybil smiled and walked over to her daughter, as Tom went back downstairs. She took the hairbrush off the floor and sat on the bed to brush her daughter's thick dark brown hair. Grace said nothing, but sat looking into her lap.

"There we go, darling. All done. But you need to put your hair up – it's the rules, so how to you want it?" Grace said nothing. "Bunches, pony tail, plait?"

"Can I have bunches?" she asked, knowing that the answer would be yes. Sybil said,

"Righty-ho. Go over there and get me two hairbands then, please." Grace ran over to her drawer, opened it with difficulty and grabbed two bright pink hairbands. She came back and sat next to Sybil. Sybil parted her daughter's hair in the middle and brushed each section to neaten it up and wrapped each hairband around as many times as it would go. Grace smiled and ran into the bathroom to clean her teeth. She was proud of the fact that she had mastered the art of cleaning her teeth all by herself when she was only four years old. She scrubbed within her mouth thoroughly and then ran to the top of the stairs where her mother was waiting with her shoes, her bag and her jumper. She ran down the stairs, knowing that she would find her breakfast sitting at the dining room table waiting for her, along with a plastic cup full of orange juice. She ate it quickly, let her father put her shiny patent brand new school shoes on and skipped out the door to the car on the drive. Sybil had given her the keys so that she could unlock the car and get in it herself, whilst Sybil talked to her father. Or… rather… didn't talk much at all. Sybil and Tom had somehow both managed to land a day off on Grace's first day of school. Sybil pulled away from Tom's lips, keeping her arms tightly over his shoulders. "I'll be back later, honey… I promise," Sybil said, as she began to pull away from him so that she could get Grace to school.

"I look forward to it!" Tom said, with a cheeky smile. She gave him another quick kiss and hurried out to the car. Tom waited patiently for Sybil to come home. Once she was back in through the front door, Tom took her handbag off her, took her hand and led her to their bedroom. "Oh, getting straight into it! No hesitation – lovely…" Sybil said to herself. She loved it when she had some time alone with Tom. Since having Grace, alone time was rarely actually _alone_ time. At about 10:30 Sybil and Tom lay in bed, both naked and both breathing heavily. Sybil turned to Tom and said, "You're perfect, Tom Branson. I love you so much. I'm so glad you came to talk to me half a decade ago."

"Well, so am I!" Tom replied. "I love you more than you could ever know, Sybil. You are, without doubt, the best person I could ever marry – you perfect, sexy woman." Sybil and Tom were perfect for each other, and Grace was perfect to them. They had their own family and their own lives now and were proud of the lives they'd made with each other. They loved each other more than anything else (alright, apart from Grace) and they weren't afraid to deny it.

* * *

_I don't know if you wanted an epilogue, because none of you seem to comment on much, but here is one anyway to finish the whole story off. I know it's rushed and all that, but it's just a way to end the story. Also, I'm thinking of completely stopping _That Was Then, This Is Now_ because I'm not enjoying it and I'm not sure anybody else is, so I might just take the whole thing down if I don't get anybody telling me not to. I hope you enjoyed this story, by the way._


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